Methodist church in Los Angeles says ICE arrested member during a food distribution event

Leadership at a Methodist church in Los Angeles is accusing federal immigration enforcement agents of arresting a man during a food ministry event in its parking lot last Thursday.

During a news conference on Monday, church officials at the North Hills United Methodist Church Hispanic Mission in the San Fernando Valley accused agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement of entering the event while heavily armed and arresting a church member. 

Pastor Ervin Aguilon claims the arrest occurred in the presence of children and many other churchgoers as they fed the community during the food ministry. He identified the arrested man as "beloved" community member Carlos Chavez.

The food ministry was forced to end early after the two agents arrived to apprehend Chavez, Aguilon said. Event attendees sheltered in place for four hours after the agents arrived.

Cellphone footage provided by the North Hills United Methodist Church showed armed agents who appeared to be performing an immigration enforcement operation chasing and eventually apprehending Chavez in the parking lot.

"For me, that is not just a parking lot," Aguilon said. "They did not enter through a parking lot, they entered a ground that I believe is holy."

In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Chavez was an unauthorized immigrant who was previously removed from the U.S. in 2016, and "U.S. Border Patrol did NOT target United Methodist Church or its parking lot in North Hills, California."

"On January 29, Border Patrol conducted an immigration enforcement operation in the area of Rayen Street and Sepulveda Boulevard that resulted in the arrest of Carlos Chavez-Guzman," she said. "Chavez-Guzman chose to run from law enforcement, a federal crime, leading them on a foot chase before his arrest. This operation also resulted in the arrest of two other individuals from Mexico who have violated the immigration laws of our country."

Rev. Dr. Dottie Escobedo-Frank, Resident Bishop of the Los Angeles Area of The United Methodist Church, criticized federal immigration enforcement operations for sending fully armed masked men to a "church setting where children and elders and mommas and poppas were here feeding the community."

"In our churches, we understand that it is a place of safety," she said. "Our safety has been violated inside our sacred space ... They came in and terrorized a community of faith."

As of Monday morning, it's not clear where Chavez is being held or on what charges.